AMHERST - As the Lord Jeffery Inn gets ready to close for expansion, some who work there are feeling betrayed by Amherst College.

They claim the college, which owns the inn, has not done enough to help them find jobs during the 18 months the Lord Jeffery will be closed for renovation.

The college, meanwhile, says it welcomes inn workers to apply for other jobs on campus. A spokesperson said the college has hired two workers from the inn staff.

The inn is scheduled to close Nov. 9 for a $20 million project and is expected to be closed until the spring of 2010. Half the project is new construction and half renovation. The inn, built in 1928, will be expanded from 48 rooms and suites to 70 rooms when it is finished.

The college has provided a severance package to those staying on until the inn closes but some don't think it's enough. They are also upset that the college has reportedly said it is helping employees find new work. The complaining workers say they have not been helped.

Patrick Rumierz, a cook, has worked at the inn for about seven years. He spoke on the record and said he represents some colleagues who did not want to speak.

During the height of the summer, according to Rumierz, the inn employs 90 to 100 people and 50 to 60 other times. Some, he said, have been there for 10 or 20 years and have families. The Belchertown resident is a student at the University of Massachusetts and does not have a family for whom to care.

He said he will receive the equivalent of a week and a half's pay, about $500.

"Some have less. Some have more. Either way, it is inadequate," he wrote in an e-mail. He said employees are feeling betrayed and some are having difficulty finding new jobs and the college has not helped workers find new jobs.

Amherst College spokeswoman Caroline Jenkins Hanna, in an e-mail response, said, "The college's human resources department has been in touch with the management of the inn (Pinnacle Hospitality Group) and we welcome the staff to apply for vacancies on campus." She said the college has hired two former employees.

The college is "doing what we can to help the Lord Jeff's staff in this transition period," she said. The college has offered severance packages of up to 26 weeks, according to Jenkins Hanna, and they are encouraging employees to re-apply when the renovations are finished.

But Rumierz thinks otherwise.

"The idea that anybody can wait around for 18 months for the inn to reopen and get a chance at reapplying for a job is ludicrous. The inn is set for completely new, high-profile management, and the chances of us re-acquiring the jobs we had will prove to be difficult at best.

"We have poured our lives into this inn, built a great reputation for hosting weddings, events, widened profits and have been an integral part of making the investment into the inn by Amherst College a possibility," he said.

"The economy is different than it was six months ago so our hearts are with all who are concerned about finding work," Jenkins responded. "It is extremely unfortunate timing that the renovations have to begin at a point when so many of us are apprehensive about the job market, but it is also difficult to imagine any enterprise that would continue to pay its employees while it was forced to close for a lengthy period."